Marketing is everywhere, but it's not often that you see a new marketing opportunity come up in a different form to the ads and placements we're used to. In this respect, podcast advertisements are changing it up. Since most podcasts don't have a "commercial break", the messaging just becomes part of the show - here are five reasons why this relatively new form of advertising could be right for you.
1. People can listen whenever and wherever
Podcasts can be downloaded onto any mobile device (and other devices), which means your audience can listen to your show at their convenience. Most ads become an integral part of the program, so people tend to just enjoy the ad like it was a part of the show.
And those ads can be extremely effective - a study conducted by podcast ad sales network Midroll found that of 300,000 podcast listeners, 63% had gone on to purchase something because of an ad they heard on a podcast. That's an significant return on investment.
2. A great way to promote
If you decide to create your own podcast for your business, then remember to ask your listeners to sign -up or subscribe, that way they'll get your new podcast every time you create one.
Keep in mind that you need to get to know your audience in order to provide interesting content and keep them around. Conversations seem to have the best listening rate, this includes interviews.
Also, since people can't skip easily or change the station when a commercial comes on, they're more likely to listen through it. Many podcasts don't spend a ton of time on advertisements, so the audience happily listens to the speaker without any negative feelings.
3. New content
A lot of businesses just have their podcast host read what they wrote, and they then try and make the information fun and fit the form of the show. Podcast ads need to be crafted with the listener in mind.
Advertising on podcasts is also a way to borrow credibility. If people trust the information the show gives them, then they'll trust the host reading your ad.
4. Affordable
Podcasts are still fairly new to the media game, and therefore advertising on a show is fairly inexpensive. Unlike many other forms of pay-per-click advertising, each podcast download is relatively cheap.
There are some popular shows that are expensive to place an ad on, but it could prove to be money well spent.
5. Hasn't peaked
Podcast listening grew 23% between 2015 and 2016, and it still on the rise. Podcasts are becoming a favored way of hearing stories, learning new things, and listening to debates. They're also changing the media marketing game with a new way to deliver marketing messages to a wide range of highly engaged listeners.
Businesses such as Squarespace and Mail Chimp have found great success in using podcasts, including 'Serial', to market to people. Podcasts have serious potential, and could be a great way to reach your target audience.